Cigar lighter



Sept. 28 1926. i

v L. w. TIMMONS CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Nov. 13. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 28 1926.

1.. w. TIMMONS CIGAR LIGHTER Filed Novv 1s 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L -]f Tina/ZOM- Patented Sept. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,601,008 PATENT OFFICE.

LORIN W. TIMMIONS, F HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND A SSIGNMEHTS, T0 ESTHER R. MOORE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CIGAR LIGHTER.

Anpli cation filed November 13, 1922. Serial No. 600,518.

This invention relates to an improved cigar lighter particularly designed for use upon motor vehicles and seeks, as one of its principal objects, to provide a device of this character embodying ajlightin element carried by an electric cord normally wound upon a spring actuated drum so that the hting el men m y b rasp n the cord unwound from the drum to permit unhampered useof said element while, when h l ghting ementha Served its purpos the cord will be rewound upon the drum and thus retained in a position out of the way.

The invention has as a further'object to provide a device wherein rotation of the drum incident to unwinding of the cord therefrom will serve to' close a circuit through the lighting element so that by the time the lighting element is brought to a position for use, said'element will be energized while when the lightingelement is returned to its normal position the circuit therethrough will be broken.

' And the invention has as a still further object to provide a device which will be characterized by structural simplicity, which may be readily applied, and which, in practical use, willlprove entirely convenient and etiicient.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my improved cigar li l ter applied,

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of the device,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the device,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4:.{l of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Fi ure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of FigureB, looking in the dir c f th ar f ws,

Figure 6 is a detailelevationof the ciri lo er o he d vic iand Figure 7 is a detail sectionalview through the l ghting e emen empl ye In carrying the invention into effect, I employ a drum including a cylinder 10 of metal, or other approved'inaterialand closing the cylinderat its'endsare heads .11. Ex- ,tendingbetween said headsjare tie rods 12 securing the heads assembled upon the cylind th o sai i od' ibe ng P e ra y mployed. Journaling the cylinder is a shaft 18 extending axially through the heads and engaging the ends of the shaft are brackets 11 carrying set screws 15 securing the shaft against rotation. As suggested in Figure l, the brackets 14 may be attached to the dash of a motor vehicle for supporting the device beneath the instrument board of the vehicle, the dash being conventionally-illustrated at 16 and the instrument board at 17. i I

Secured at one end to the shaft 13 and at its opposite end to one of the tie rods 12 a spring 18 and surrounding the shaft to overlie the spring at one side thereof is a guard disc 19 which may, if desired, be of suitable insulating material. Mounted upon the several tie rods is a second disc 20 which is also of insulating material and is held between nuts 21 threaded upon said rods. This disc is formed with a central opening freely receiving the shaft 13 and surrounding said opening at one side of the disc is a contact member 23 secured to the disc by fastening devices 24. The shaft 13 is formed with a squared portion 25 and slidable upon said portion of the shaft is a contact member or worniQG having, as best shown in Figure (5, a worm groove 27. Mounted upon the tie rods 12 to freely surround the contact member 26 is a feed disc 28 provided centrally with oppositely disposed relatively oll'set tongues 29 engaging in the groove 27 of said member and bear ing against opposite sides of the disc are springs 80 upon the tie rods holding the disc against free movement along said rods.

lVrapped around the cylinder 10 of the drum is an electric cord 31 comprising circuit wires 32 and 33 respectively. As broughtout in Figure 3, one of these wires is connected to one of the fastening devices securing the contact member 23 to the (hf-4C 20 while the other of said 'wires is wrapped several times about the shaft 13, and ,formed in the adjacent end portion of said shaft to receive the latter wireis a bore 34 opening through one end of theshaft. The cord 31 is led through a notch 35 in the adjacentend of the cylinder 10 of the drum and is preferably tied to one of thetie rods l2, as indicated at 36, so that possible pulling strain 'upon the cord will-be sustained by said rod and, as will be observed, the adjacent exposed portions of the wires 32 and 33 are arranged toextendzbetween the discs 19 and v so as to be protected thereby, the disc 19 being especially provided for preventing the wires from becoming entangled in the spring 18. Mounted upon the cord 31 at its outer end is a lighting element comprising a casing 37 tapered toward one end thereof and fixed in the smaller end of the casing is a rubber bushing 33 snugly receiving the cord therethrough. Filling the casing is a packing 39, preferably of asbestos, and embedded in said packing near the open end of the casing is a core 40 which may also be of absestcs. rapper around said core is a resistance element 4:1 to the ends of which the wires 32 and of the cord are connected, the resistance element being exposed at the open end of the casing and being held out of contact with the wall thereof by the packing 39. Straddling the drum of the device and secured at its ends to the brackets 14: is a yoke-shaped holder d2 for the lighting element. This holder may be formed from a length of suitable resilient wire having its intermediate portion twisted to define a horizontally disposed loop 43 and, as shown in Figure 1, theholder is of a length to project rearwardly beneath the instrument board 17 of the vehicle so that the loop 43 is exposed to normally receive the lighting element resting therein supporting said element within convenient reach. The wire 33 of the cord 31 is, of course, connected with the storage battery or other suitable source of electrical ener y upon the vehicle.

As will now be understood in view of the foregoing, the lighting element may be grasped and pulled rearwardly for the purpose of lighting a cigar or the like, when the drum of the device will be turned in a clockwise direction by the cord 31. As the drum is thus turned, the disc 28 will be rotated relative to the contact member 26 so that the tongues 29 of said disc will be caused to travel within the groove 27 of the member for shifting the member longitudinally of the shaft to engage the contact member 23 and thus close the circuit through the wire 33 to the resistance element &1 and through the wire 32 and contact members 23 and 26 to ground for energizing the resistance element. In this connection, it will, of course, be understood that the circuit connections shown are based on the assump tion that the battery of the vehicle is grounded to the vehicle frame, thus per mitting the device to be mounted upon a part of the Vehicle body through which the current may return from the contact member 26 through the shaft 13 and brackets let to the negative side of the battery Otherwise, it would be necessary to provide a return lead from the shaft or one of said brackets direct to the battery. After the member 26 is in engagement with the contact member 23, the yielding nature of the springs 30 permits further rotation of the drum in the same direction to permit pulling from the reel the desired amount of cord 31. I accordingly provide a device wherein the circuit through the resistance element will be automatically closed incident to the rotation of the drum of the device so that by the time the lighting element is brought into a position for use the resistance element ll will be heated sufficiently to light a cigar or cigarette therefrom. Rotation of the drum, as indicated, will serve to tension the spring 18 so that upon return of the lighting element to the loop -13 of the holder 12, the drum will be rotated by said spring for rewinding the cord 31 thereon while the contact member 26 will be shifted along the squared portion 25 of the shaft 13 away from the contact 23 for breaking the circuit through the resistance element. Accordingly, the resistance element will be automatically deenergized.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a fixed contact member mounted therein, a movable contact member housed by said device, and means carried by said device for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

2. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a shaft journaling said device, a fixed contact member mounted within said device, a movable contact member carried by said shaft and housed by said device, and means carried by said device for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

3. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a shaft journaling said device and provided with a squared portion, a fixed contact member mounted within said device, a movable contact member slidable upon the squared portion of said shaft, and means carried by said device for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

4;. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a fixed contact member mounted therein, a movable contact member shiftable laterally but held against rotation, and means rotatable with said device to coact with said movable member for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

5. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a fixed contact member mounted therein, a shaft journaling said device, a movable contact member slidable on said shaft but held against rotation thereby and provided with a worm groove, and means rotatable with said device and engaging in said groove for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

6. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a fixed contact member mounted therein, a shaft journaling said device and provided with a squared portion, a movable contact member slidable on the squared portion of said shaft and provided with a worm groove, and a disc carried by said device to surround the movable member and provided with a tongue engaging in said groove for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

7 A- cigar lighter including a rotatable device having tie rods extending therein, a shaft journaling said device, a disc fixed upon said tie rods and freely surrounding the shaft, a fixed contact member carried by said disc, a movable contact member slidable on the shaft but held against rotation thereby and provided with a worm groove, and a second disc carried by said tie rods freely surrounding the movable member and provided with a tongue engaging in said groove for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated.

8. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device having tie rods extending therein, a shaft journaling said device, a disc fixed upon said tie rods and freely surrounding the shaft, a fixed contact member car led by said disc, a movable contact member slidable on the shaft but held against rotation thereby and provided with a worm groove, a second disc carried by said tie rods freely surrounding the movable member and provided with a tongue engaging in said groove for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated, and springs bearing against opposite sides of the latter disc limiting said disc against movement along the tie rods.

9. In a reel for electric conductors, the combination of a rotary reel, a support for said reel, a first threaded member within said reel and held against rotation, and a second threaded member within said reel and rotated thereby in engagement with said first mei'nber, and electric switching mechanism within said reel actuated by said members.

10. In a reel for electric conductors, the combination of a rotary reel, electric switch contacts within said reel, and devices actuated by rotation of said reel for operating said contacts.

11. In a reel for electric conductors, the combination of a rotary reel, electric switch contact-s within said reel, devices actuated by rotation of said reel for operating said con tacts, and a yielding support for one of said contacts permitting continued rotation of said reel after engagement of said contacts.

12. In a reel for electric conductors, the combination of a rotary reel, electric switch contacts within said reel, and devices actuated by rotation of said reel for operating said contacts, said devices permitting continued rotation of said reel after engagement of said contacts.

13. In a reel for electric conductors, the combination of a rotary reel, a support for said reel, a first threaded member held against rotation, a second threaded member rotated by said reel in engagement with said first member, and electric switching mechanism within said reel actuated by said members.

1%. A cigar lighter including a rotatable device, a fixed contact member mounted therein, a movable contact member shiftable laterally but held against rotation, means rotatable with said device to coact with said movable member for shifting the movable member to engage the fixed member when said device is rotated, one of said contacts having a yielding support permitting continued rotation of said device after engage ment of said contacts.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

LORIN W. TIMMONS [L. s]

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in Letters Patent No. 1,601,008, granted September 28, 1926, upon the application of Lorin V. Timmons, of Hickory, North Carolina, for an improvement in Cigar Lighters, was erroneously written and printed as Esther R. Moore, Whereas said name should 1].; Ve been writ-ten and printed as Esther R. Moone, as shown by the records of assignments in this oflice; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 2d day of November, A. D. 1926.

[SEAL] WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

fiertificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in Letters Patent No. 1,601,008, granted September 28, 1926, upon the application of Lorin W. Timmons, of Hickory, North Carolina, for an improvement in Cigar Lighters, was erroneously written and printed as Esther R. Moore, Whereas said name should have been written and printed as Esther R. Moone, as shown by the records of assignments in this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 2d day of November, A. D. 1926.

[SEAL] WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

